Sea to Summit Ultralight Camp Chair / Mattress Combo Review

The Sea to Summit Air Chair is a lightweight strap and harness system that turns your sleeping mat into a comfortable camp chair.

You can save a lot of weight when you carry items that have a dual use. The Sea to Summit Air Chair lets your Sleeping Mat double as a comfortable camp chair, while the Air Stream Dry Sack Pump can be used as a high-volume air pump to inflate your sleeping mattress.

The UltraLight Insulated Sleeping Mat features 181 “Air Sprung Cells” that inflate quickly, while Thermolite insulation helps prevent heat loss. The Air Chair’s durable 70D material protects your mat from rough or wet ground during sitting, and straps are made of high tenacity, abrasion resistant Ultra-Sil fabric. Sea to Summit’s Dry Sack Pump serves as waterproof storage for the Air Chair and Ultralight Sleeping Mat, yet it can also be used to efficiently inflate a sleeping mat without the typical huffing and puffing.

The air chair’s harness system protects the mat from rough or wet ground when sitting and side straps can be adjusted for comfort.

ADVERTISEMENT

Who Is it For?

Adventure Riders who prioritize weight savings out on the trail, yet still want to get a good night’s sleep and be comfortable around camp. At just 10 oz., the Air Chair is half the weight of other ultralight camp chairs with rigid frames. Total weight of the large Ultralight Mat, large Air Chair and Air Stream Dry Sack is 2.0 lbs (924 grams) and the mat and chair both pack easily into the 20L Air Stream Dry Sack, with room to spare for a small cook set, cups, paracord, etc. Pack it full and shove it in a side bag or pannier, or strap it to the outside of your bike.

The Air Stream Dry Sack holds the Air Chair and Sleeping Mat with room to spare. It also seconds as a convenient mattress inflator. Just connect the valves on the sack and mat, then roll the top down as you would any dry sack. The captured air is forced into the mat. No more blowing until you’re dizzy!

Our Verdict

At a total cost of $240, this trio of products isn’t cheap but you can save a lot of weight when you give the items you already carry dual use. Turning your air mattress into a chair and your stuff sack into an air pump eliminates the need for carrying additional items that can weigh you down and affect your ride.

Every ounce counts but not if you have to sacrifice a good night’s sleep. The Sea to Summit gear delivers on comfort and the company has an excellent reputation for innovative, lightweight gear that lasts. Overall, we think this is money well spent.

Press the orange button to fine tune comfort or pop open the valve and the sleeping mat deflates in seconds. No squeezing required!

What We Liked

Insulated mat packs very small, yet offers excellent comfort.

Insulates well for a lightweight mat and we tested it down to 30°F.

“Air Spring Cells” conform to your body like mattress springs.

Quick and easy inflation of sleeping mat using Air Stream Dry Sack.

Sleeping mat deflates almost instantly with no squeezing required.

The Air Chair is comfortable enough to fall asleep in.

What Could Be Improved

The sleeping mat can be a little noisy when you roll around on it.

The Air Chair may not be compatible with non-Sea to Summit mats.

Included instructions for air chair assembly could be more clear (see video below for a helpful step-by-step demo).

Bob has been riding motorcycles since age 19 and working as a journalist since he was 24, which was a long time ago, let’s put it that way. He quit for the better part of a decade to raise a family, then rediscovered adventure, dual sport and enduro riding in the early 2000s. He lives in Arkansas, America’s best-kept secret when it comes to riding destinations, and travels far and wide in search of dirt roads and trails.